In the political life cycle, Democrats are teenagers

In the political life cycle, Democrats are teenagers EDITOR Politics is a human activity, and as such, it has an organic quality. The most pronounced of those qualities is the life cycle: birth, growth, maturation and death. Humans, and their organizations, exhibit this life cycle be they companies, countries or communities. Politics is no exception. Each stage in the cycle has its defining behaviors. The very young are innocent and needy. Teenagers are rebellious and irresponsible. Young adults are energetic and hedonistic. Older adults are more serious and cosmopolitan. The senior citizen is staid yet fearful. Each of us passes through these ages with varying degrees of conformity. But on the whole, we succumb to the pressures of our age. In society, it is the balance of these ages that define and characterize us. America, a nation of immigrants, has always been populated by adults. These high energy individuals risked all to find a better life. They fueled our prosperity and defined our culture. But today, America is aging, and it is becoming staid and fearful. Consider the debate over private accounts in Social Security. How many times have you heard people say, that's my money? The reality is that it was never your money. It was the government's money that they took from you. Now, President Bush offers to make the lie truth, and he is vilified. Why? Because he is Bush? Because we are old? Because the lie gives use false comfort? The most ludicrous argument against private accounts is that the stock market is a risky venture. It depends too much on the ebbs and flows of the economy. What on earth do you think the government depends on? What has brought us to this sorry state of ignorance? The obvious answer is liberal Democrats, their lies and their obfuscation. But that is an answer without a solution.For a solution, we must go deeper In the life cycle of politics, liberal Democrats are teenagers. Teenagers crave individual freedom. But who is responsible when things go wrong -- mom and dad. Teenagers are rarely responsible for messes they create. Thus, the labor unions demand ever higher wages, but it's management's fault when the company collapses. Minorities drop out of school, but it's the majority's oppression that made them do it. Americans want a cure for every ailment from A.D.D. to zits, but they want someone else to pay for it. This is teenage thinking and the liberal mind set. What do you get when liberalism is unchecked? You get communism. Now, I recognize that the Democratic party has a proud history of accomplishments. But that was when the party was under the supervision of adults like FDR, Harry Truman, and JFK. Today, the Democrat party is in the hands of Michael Moore, Howard Dean, Whoopi Goldberg and George Soros. They rant. They rave. They obstruct. And there is no one to rein them in because the rank and file, like Bill Clinton, have never grown up. THOMAS MASKELL Poland Silver-spoon Republican:Keep your hands to yourself EDITOR: Our president stated that he would like to privatize Social Security because he would like to see people held more accountable. Coming from a person that was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, got into Yale only because his father was a distinguished alumni, graduating with a C average, avoided the Vietnam war by getting into the Air National Guard and not bothering to show up for scheduled maneuvers, and never really working a day in his life, I have a problem with that statement. I've been in the work force 36 years. Each year I've paid in 6.2 percent of my wages, with matching funds from my employer. As far as I'm concerned that is my money and Mr. Bush and his Republican Congress should keep their hands off of it. Most of these people have never paid a dime into Social Security. Besides, there wouldn't be a problem funding Social Security if we didn't keep sending our jobs to India and China and keep pilfering the Social Security Fund to pay for our oil war. JIM SPENCER Lake Milton